Not too long ago, an Associate’s Degree in nursing was enough to get a good job in nursing in most places. You only needed a higher degree if you planned to go into nursing administration or become a nursing educator. That is changing.

Now, fewer nursing jobs are available for those with less than a Bachelor’s Degree. It will become even harder to find work in nursing with only an Associate’s Degree before long. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has issued a mandate that will require at least 80 percent of nurses working in hospitals have at least a Bachelor’s Degree by 2020.